Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of attending an ikebana class.  Ikebana is the traditional Japanese art of flower arrangement.  The Japanese American Society on base hosts a class once a week with a wonderful sensei, Kuniko, who is a master of the Sogetsu school of Ikebana, one of the...

The Cherry Blossom Festival was this weekend here in Iwakuni, and yesterday was the perfect 60 degree and sunny day to get out and enjoy the festivities. The festival is held annually at the Kintai Bridge which spans the Nishiki river.  The Kintai, one of the most famous bridges in...

Konnichiwa Iwakuni!  We have officially arrived at our new home in Iwakuni, Japan. Our adventure started at the airport in my hometown.  We were a little worried about sending our sweet puppy on the long flight across the pond, but he managed just fine.  Well… that’s not exactly...

Well, I finally finished that custom wedding map I mentioned a few weeks ago.  I’m really happy with how it turned out, and I am now selling custom maps in this style on my Etsy shop!  Check out my listing for custom illustrated wedding maps here. It is designed to be printed on...

My sister, AH, asked me to help her redesign one of her guest bedrooms.  She’s a doctor in the final months of her residency, so she doesn’t have much time to devote to interior design, to say the least!  The room currently has two twin beds which will stay and become the basis...

I’ve posted before about the necklaces I made for my bridesmaids, but I recently had a request for a fully DIY tutorial, so here goes!    Supplies Clasp of your choice Crimp beads (11 per necklace) Silver flower (mine were purchased from Thai artisans at Silver by Hilltribe) Split...

This leather memory book would make a great Valentine’s Day gift for the special man in your life.  I made this little leather book several months ago for my man before he left on deployment to Afghanistan (he’s home now, thankfully!).  I filled this masculine leatherbound...

All my fellow military wives out there, check out this great company, FlyBagz!  They have a very unique line of handbags and accessories made from military uniforms!   Each item is custom made by hand in the USA specifically to your order.  The one shown below is one of my favorite...

This weekend, I’ve been designing some custom wedding invitations for a client.  She saw the invitations I designed for my wedding a couple years ago and loved the idea of including a custom map.  That led me to do an internet search for all the best examples of custom wedding...

Today, I finished making some fabric-covered books and wanted to share this step-by-step DIY tutorial!  They would make a great personalized scrapbook for a family member, or use them to display your portfolio as these were designed to be.  I made eight books to display the portfolio of...

Here’s a great new project brought to you by my girl CH.  She made a couple pin boards out of an unexpected material — ceiling tiles!  But what a great idea!  So simple and inexpensive.  The bright fabric and orange ribbon look great on her red walls!  Here’s...